How to Watch Alpine Ski Racing in 2026-27: Peacock, NBC, YouTube and the New Free Channel

Ski racing fans have spent years juggling services to follow a World Cup season. This year the picture is simpler. On October 21, NBC Sports, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) announced a new broadcast structure, and it took effect with the season opener in Sölden, Austria, on October 24 and 25. FIS centralized international broadcast rights this season, and the old situation, where fans sometimes needed as many as three services, is over.

Here is how to watch, what costs money, what is free, and where the new streaming channels fit. A note up front: the rollout has a few moving parts, and one of the most exciting, the free streaming TV channel, has not launched yet.

The short answer

For guaranteed live alpine racing in the U.S., use Peacock. Peacock streams every men’s and women’s alpine World Cup race live and on demand with commentary, along with the World Championships. Selected major events also air on NBC and NBCSN.

For free, check YouTube first. The Ski & Snowboard World Cup YouTube channel streamed the Sölden women’s giant slalom live, run by run, and keeps every stream up afterward as a free replay. Live availability depends on where you are, though. The channel says its live races are “pending geographies,” and U.S. Ski & Snowboard describes Peacock as the live home for alpine in the U.S., with alpine uploaded to YouTube about 24 hours after it airs. Open the channel’s Live tab to see what you can watch from where you are.

For a free, always-on channel, wait for November. A new free, ad-supported streaming channel for the U.S. and Canada is on the way. It does not carry live alpine racing, but it is built for fans who want snow sports on a TV screen all season.

Peacock: the home of live alpine racing

Every alpine World Cup race and the World Championships stream live and on demand on Peacock. That includes the races held in Europe, which is where most of the calendar happens, and the races on U.S. snow. Domestic events are available on demand on Peacock immediately.

The opener showed what to expect. Peacock streamed the Sölden giant slalom live, with the women’s race on Saturday, October 24, and the men’s on Sunday, October 25. The first run of the women’s race started at 4 a.m. Eastern. That is the reality of European ski racing from the U.S.: many races start in the middle of the night or early morning, so the on-demand replay matters. The announcement did not list Peacock pricing, so check the service for current plans.

NBC and NBCSN: selected major events

Broadcast television has not gone away. NBC and NBCSN carry selected major events, and at the opener NBCSN aired delayed coverage of the giant slalom races on Sunday evening Eastern. If you do not subscribe to Peacock, the televised events are your free-to-air window, though the coverage is selective.

YouTube: live streams and free replays

The Ski & Snowboard World Cup YouTube channel (youtube.com/@skiandsnowboardworldcup) is the best free option for alpine fans, and it is more than a replay library. Its Live tab carried both runs of the Sölden women’s giant slalom as live streams on October 24, and the men’s runs were scheduled the next morning. Those streams stay on the channel afterward as free replays, alongside race talk shows and press conferences. All World Cup and World Championship events are available on demand there, including alpine.

Two things to know. First, the channel describes its live coverage as “pending geographies,” so what streams live depends on your region, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard says alpine on YouTube is uploaded about 24 hours after it airs. We saw the Sölden streams live and playable, but rights can differ by race and by country, so check the Live tab before you plan around it. Peacock remains the guaranteed live option for alpine in the U.S. Second, if you want to avoid spoilers, stay off social media until you have watched.

YouTube is also the planned home for live coverage of events outside the U.S. in most other disciplines, such as cross-country, ski jumping, freestyle and snowboard, with English commentary.

The new free streaming channel

The Ski & Snowboard World Cup channel is what the industry calls a FAST channel, meaning free ad-supported streaming TV. It is free, runs around the clock, needs no subscription and is aimed at viewers in the U.S. and Canada. It debuts in November 2026, and the organizers have not given an exact day. The platforms named so far are Prime Video, Fire TV, Google TV, Live TV on PS5, Plex, Sony Pictures Core, The Roku Channel and Xumo Play.

What will be on it: more than 600 hours of live World Cup coverage over the season, plus classic races, documentaries and behind-the-scenes programming. The live events on the channel are the ones held outside the U.S., in disciplines other than alpine. For fans who also follow ski jumping, cross-country, freestyle or snowboarding, that is new, and it is free.

Racing on U.S. snow

Peacock streams every event hosted in the U.S. across all sports, with select events on NBC and NBCSN. Outside TV offers full events and highlights on demand from U.S. events across all sports, and YouTube shows domestic events 24 hours after they air. The first U.S. alpine stops of the season are in late November. We cover where to see them in person in our guide to World Cup ski racing in North America.

Why this matters for the sport

U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt called it a new era that makes it easier to watch our sports. The practical test is simple: can a casual fan find a race on a Saturday morning without hunting through three apps? For alpine, the answer is now Peacock first and YouTube for free replays. FIS also has a stake in North America, which it describes as a core market with growth potential, and the world championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, from February 1 to 14, 2027, are the next big moment.

Want to learn to read a race?

Watching racing makes people want to ski better. If a giant slalom has you rethinking your own turns, a lesson is the fastest fix. Find an instructor who teaches your level on MEETR, and browse resorts where World Cup racing has been held, such as Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain and Killington.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Peacock to watch alpine ski racing? For guaranteed live coverage of every alpine World Cup race in the U.S., yes. Selected events are on NBC and NBCSN, and the YouTube channel streams some races live and keeps free replays of all of them.

Is the YouTube channel live or replays? Both. The Ski & Snowboard World Cup channel streamed the Sölden women’s giant slalom live and keeps the recordings. Live availability depends on your region, and official U.S. guidance says alpine is posted about 24 hours after it airs, so use the channel’s Live tab to check, and Peacock for guaranteed live alpine.

Will the free streaming channel show alpine racing? It carries live events from outside the U.S. in other disciplines, plus classic races and documentaries. Live alpine racing is on Peacock.

When does the free channel launch? In November 2026. An exact date has not been announced.

Sources: U.S. Ski & Snowboard, SkiRacing.com, SnowBrains, Insider Sport.

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